Circuit-closer.



No. 833.152. I

PATENTED OCT. 16, 1906. W. B. BIELAK & B. W. BBLOGK.

CIRCUIT CLOSER. APPLICATION nun mum. 190e,

UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

WALTER B. BIELAK, OF GRESHAM, AND BARNEY W. BELOCK, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CIRCUIT-CLOSER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1906.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WALTER B. BIELAK, residing at Gresham, and BARNEY W. BE- LOOK, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, citizens of the United States, have invented new and useful Improvements in Circuit-Closers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric signal apparatus for railways, and more particularly a train-actuated circuit closer embodying certain novel features of construction to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail, and Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the circuits.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 5 denotes one of the track-rails. Extending through the head of the rail is a slot 6, in which is pivoted on a transverse pin 7, extending through the slot, a lever 8, which projects from the slot above the tread of the rail in position to be swung down by a carwheel passing thereover. The lever is held normally in .upright position by a spring -9, secured to the lower end of the lever and the base-flange of the rail. Adjacent the lever is a push-pin 10, which is slidably mounted in a block 11 of insulation, secured in the slot 6. The pin slides vertically in the block 11, and its head is held normally flush with the tread of the rail by a spring 12, coiled around the pin and bearing at one end on the head and at its opposite end on a shoulder 13, formed in the bore of the block 11. The lower end of the pin has a transverse opening 14, through which the battery-wires 15 are extended. Said wires, except as hereinafter stated, are heavily insulated to prevent a short circuit in case they should come in contact with each other.

Secured to the rail are two brackets 16 and 17, respectively. These brackets extend upwardly from the base-flange of the rail and then horizontally to the web thereof and are fastened to the rail in any suitable manner and also insulated therefrom, as shown at 18. On the top of the horizontal portions of the brackets are fastened contact-plates 19 and 20, respectively, by screws 21.

At 22 are indicated the circuit-wires of a signal device 23, and 24 denotes circuitwires of another signal device 25. The

wires 22 and 24 are electrically connected to the contact-plates 19 and 20. Current is supplied to the signal-circuits from a battery 26 or other suitable source of electrical energy in the following manner: That portion of one of the battery-wires 15 which is located above the contact-plate 19 is stripped of its insulation, as shown at 27 in Fig. 4. The other battery-wire above the contactplate is similarly stripped of its insulation. By reason of this when the pin 10 is depressed the bared portions of the battery-wires come in contact with the plates 19 and 20, whereby a circuit is established in the wires 22 and 24, one of the wires of each of said circuits being connected to one of the contact-plates and the other wires of said circuits to the other contactplate. After the car-wheel leaves the lever 8 the spring 9 returns it to its normal vertical position, and the spring 12 returns the pin '10, whereby the battery-wires are disconnected from the contact-plates, and the signal-circuits are broken. As the lever 8 swings in one direction only to actuate the pin 10, the other track-rail may be similarly'equipped, as herein described, so that the signals will be actuated by a train going in either direction. Any desired electrically-operated signals may be employed, and they can be placed where desired-for instance, to signal ahead and warn an approaching train at dangerous curves, &c.

We claim 1. The combination with a track-rail, of a car-actuated pin mounted on the rail, a signal-circuit having contacts, a supply-circuit the wires of which are carried by the pin, and have contacts which are movable to and from the contacts of the signal-circuits when the aforesaid pin is actuated.

2. The combination with a track-rail having a slotted head, of a normally erect lever names to this specification in the presence of pivoted in the slot and extending above the tread of the rail, a vertically-sliding pin mounted in the slot, and actuated by the lever, an electric circuit including a signal device, and means carried by the aforesaid pin to close the circuit.

In testimony whereof We have signed our two subscribing Witnesses.

WALTER B. BIELAK. BARNEY W. BELOOK.

Witnesses JOHN A. BOMMHARDT, SHIRLEY J. BOMMHARDT. 

